What are the advantages of laparoscopic appendectomy?

Generally, laparoscopic appendectomy, as a minimally invasive surgical procedure for treating appendicitis, offers significant advantages over traditional open surgery in terms of trauma, recovery, and complications. These benefits include less trauma, faster postoperative recovery, lower complication rates, clearer intraoperative visualization, and better cosmetic outcomes. The detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Less Trauma: This procedure requires only 3–4 small incisions of 0.5–1 cm in the abdomen, avoiding the long incision needed in traditional open surgery. These smaller incisions cause less tissue damage, result in less intraoperative bleeding, and lead to milder postoperative pain, thereby reducing overall physical disruption.

2. Faster Postoperative Recovery: Due to reduced trauma, patients experience quicker recovery of bowel function. They can usually get out of bed within 6–12 hours after surgery and resume normal eating within 24–48 hours. Hospital stays are significantly shortened, with most patients discharged within 2–3 days, compared to about one week for traditional open surgery.

3. Lower Complication Rates: Laparoscopic surgery is performed within a closed abdominal cavity, effectively reducing bacterial contamination from the external environment and lowering the risk of postoperative complications such as intra-abdominal infection and intestinal adhesions. Additionally, the small incisions reduce the likelihood of wound-related complications like surgical site infections and fat liquefaction.

4. Clearer Intraoperative Visualization: The laparoscope magnifies and projects internal abdominal structures onto a monitor, allowing surgeons to clearly observe the location of the appendix, the extent of inflammation, and surrounding tissues. This enhanced visibility facilitates precise surgical maneuvers and helps prevent accidental injury to nearby critical structures such as blood vessels and intestines.

5. Better Cosmetic Results: The small incisions are discreet and minimal, resulting in barely noticeable scars after healing. Some incisions can even be hidden within natural skin folds such as the umbilicus, minimizing the impact on abdominal appearance. This meets patients’ aesthetic expectations after surgery and is particularly favored by younger patients.

After surgery, patients should follow medical advice regarding postoperative care, including keeping incisions clean and dry and gradually resuming diet and physical activity, to promote full recovery and reduce the risk of postoperative complications.